The CliftonStrengths Coaching Blog is a resource for those who want to help others understand their strengths and learn how to use them. Gallup experts and outside contributors share tactics, insights, and strategies to help strengths coaches maximize the talent of individuals, teams, and organizations around the world.

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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Maximizers have and bring to others a focus on quality. They naturally prefer working with and for the best. They create strengths within groups by enabling each person to do what he or she naturally does best. Their drive toward excellence can lead to a new standard of success. Those who have high Maximizer have a strong orientation toward and commitment to excellence that leads to quality outcomes. The inner compass of these individuals continually points to quality and a desire for quality in all areas of life.Maximizer falls under the Influencing domain and inhabits roughly 17% of all individuals’ top five strengths. The Strategic and Achiever themes are most likely to be paired with Maximizer, while Restorative is the least likely theme to be found in the same top five as Maximizer. Those with Restorative fix things that are broken, but Maximizers tend to take things that are good and make them great.

Please register for our Maximizer webcast on Thursday, August 4, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Download the Companion Guide for our Maximizer webcast here to follow along with the show!

Friday, July 29, 2016

I recently went to London for 10 days to take an intensive business course on the assessment tool, CliftonStrengths. But that’s not really what this story is about.Before I get started, I need to give you some background about CliftonStrengths for context. It’s a tool that reveals your talents -- what you’re naturally great at -- and the idea is to develop those talents so that, with practice, they become strengths. I just love that philosophy! While you need to manage your weaknesses so they don’t get in your way or in someone else’s way, you don’t want to put all your energy fixing weaknesses. You’re not likely to get masterful at something you’re not naturally gifted in, and you’d be competing with those who are naturally gifted in that area. It just makes no sense to waste energy fixing and filling your gaps. Instead, you put your energy behind what you’re already good at and work at becoming great.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Prabha Karhana.

Prabha Karhana is the HR Business Partner for Harley-Davidson in India. Harley Davidson has three concepts they focus on with their employees: knowing, believing and growing. They use CliftonStrengths to enhance those concepts and to help their employees become more aware of what they do best. They have found that the more insightful their employees are about their individual strengths and the strengths of their team members, the more engaged they are in their jobs. They have also seen that the more engaged their employees are, the more engaged customers they create. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Prabha is able to teach teams how to function better together and help employees to become better versions of themselves.

Continue the coaching conversation on Facebook and Twitter. It’s a great way to network with others who share a passion for strengths!

Prabha Karhana is the HR Business Partner at Harley-Davidson India. She has well-rounded experience in Human Resource Practice across sectors like FMCG, IT Services, Engineering and Automotive. This experience is diverse not only in terms the core area of business but more importantly varied in terms of size of operations, internal work organization and related priorities. Her experience covers working in all spheres of HR practice and includes Business Hiring, Driving Organizational Effectiveness, Talent Acquisition and Retention, Change Management, Compensation & Benefits and coaching. Her role also involve working in environments under matrix structures and handling multinational cultural sensitivities where strength-based coaching experience serves as an added advantage.

Friday, July 22, 2016

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Alex Araneta.

Alex Aranav is a pioneer in bringing strengths to the Philippines. When starting out, Alex immediately realized the need to differentiate CliftonStrengths from other assessments in the market, so he did keynote presentations and strengths sessions wherever people would listen. He found three other certified coaches in the Philippines to help with his mission and they formed a group to create a stronger strategy for spreading the word about strengths and coaching.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Gallup's Well-Being Subject Matter Expert, Jade Wood.

On today’s Called to Coach, Jade Wood, a licensed psychotherapist and a Gallup Subject Matter Expert, and Jim, discuss the difference between coaching and therapy or counseling. What are the differences between coaching and counseling? And what unites the two? While there is a great overlap in the purpose of coaching and counseling, such as improving a person’s quality of life and creating self-awareness, the ways in which the counselor is used during sessions is very different. A counselor is there to help someone work through old wounds or trauma. Their role can shift during treatment as the patient works out what happened to them.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

On this Theme Thursday Season Two webcast, Jim Collison, Gallup's Director of Talent Sourcing, and Maika Leibbrandt, Gallup Advanced Learning and Development Consultant discussed the theme of Intellection.

&autoplay=false" style="height: 131px; width: 100%;People exceptionally talented in the Intellectual theme enjoy intellectual activity, being introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions. Intellection is boundless, infinite and deep. Intellection is about boundless capacity for consideration and enhanced awareness. Intellection loves the process of thinking and considers ideas for 360 degrees. Intellection finds things that would otherwise be missed. Intellection can sometimes be misunderstood as intelligence -- it is not the same thing. It is the capacity to think and consider, and sometimes arrive at wisdom and clarity as a result. The power and edge of Intellection is its particular genius for processing ideas. It is a sounding board for others to solve their problems or enhance the quality of their work. Raw Intellection can be closed and private and it says, "it's me and my thoughts." Intellection loves to be alone with its thoughts. Mature Intellection is open and starts the prelude to a great conversation. Mature Intellection says, 'I have been alone with my thoughts and here is what they are." However, according to Maika, Intellection "...doesn't have to be the wise sage on the hill sharing ideas, rather it is a very intentional specialty and provides a depth of understanding." Raw Intellection can be critical, while mature Intellection is collaborative.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

People with strong Learner talents not only love to learn, but they also intuitively know how they learn best. They can learn quickly, and when focused, they can keep a group, team and organization on the cutting edge. Those with high Learner have a natural curiosity and enjoyment of the learning experience that leads to ever-evolving paradigms and ever-evolving perspectives. Much like a runner getting a high from a long run, people with strong Learner talent tend to experience a similar emotional boost when presented with the opportunity to learn something new. That those with Learner enjoy theprocessof learning, while those with Input are more attracted to the tangible aspects of learning, such as books and specific subject matter.

Please register for our Learner Webcaston Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Download the Companion Guide for our Learner webcast here to follow along with the show!

Friday, July 15, 2016

On this Theme Thursday Season Two webcast, Jim Collison, Gallup's Director of Talent Sourcing, and Maika Leibbrandt, Gallup Advanced Learning and Development Consultant discussed the theme of Input.

&autoplay=false" style="height: 131px; width: 100%;People strong in Input have a craving to know more. They collect and archive all kinds of information. Input is a relevant and tangible tool that can help others. It’s not just collecting, but collecting in order to use the information for yourself or other people when it’s needed in the future. It may not be instantly useful, but could be down the road. People say Learner and Input sound alike. But, Learner is grabbing information to get mastery and then possibly forgetting later, while Input will collect ideas and information for future purpose.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

For many years, nonprofit teams have been a force for good in this world; addressing issues of poverty, poor health, economic development, education and much more. With an influx of millennials into the nonprofit sector, managers need to strategically change their approach in leading and managing this group to drive performance and achieve the mission of their organizations. Gallup recommends that organizations change their culture from the old will to the new will, based on Gallup’s research of millennials.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

On this Theme Thursday Season Two webcast, Jim Collison, Gallup's Director of Talent Sourcing, and Maika Leibbrandt, Gallup Advanced Learning and Development Consultant discussed the theme of Individualization.

&autoplay=false" style="height: 131px; width: 100%;Maika feels an immediate connection to those with Individualization. It is a relationship-building theme and is all about embracing the uniqueness of human beings. Individualization notices and loves what is different about people. People exceptionally talented in the Individualization theme low to figure out how different people work together productively. Strong Individualization appreciates the uniqueness of each person and can customize their approach accordingly. Individualization is like a casting director, it positions people to do what they do best, and in so doing, leads to a more enjoyable and productive experience for everyone. Individualization is open-minded and curious about the human element of a process.

Sunday, July 10, 2016

People with strong Intellection talents like to think. They like mental activity. They like to exercise the “muscles” of their brain, stretching them in multiple directions. Intellection is a solitary or philosophical contemplation that deepens wisdom and understanding. Those with high Intellection like to think deeply about things, and often prefer their own time in a quiet space for such contemplation. People who have strong Intellection talents find clarity by taking the time to think about a subject until they come away with a thorough understanding of it. They aren’t satisfied with simply gathering knowledge; the real reward comes with true understanding. Please register for our Intellection Webcaston Thursday, July 14, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Download the Theme Thursday Companion Guide on Intellection here to follow along with the show!

Friday, July 8, 2016

By Jennifer RobisonA company with a focus on military veterans leverages its strengths to fulfill its mission.When a client is having a rough day, it’s a little harder to do your best work. It’s a whole different level of difficulty, though, when that customer’s rough day includes coming under enemy fire in a foreign country while navigating the VA home loan program on a cellphone. But for the people at Veterans United Home Loan, a mortgage company with $7 billion in loan volume and more than 2,000 employees, that kind of rough day is exactly why they do what they do. Veterans United serves active duty and retired veterans by helping them obtain home loans through the VA’s program for service members. To provide this kind of service, Veterans United uses CliftonStrengths.

Thursday, July 7, 2016

On a recent Called to Coach, we spoke with Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Michael Dauphinee.

Michael identifies as a Gen Xer and as such said he was surrounded by books that provided a map, "Seven steps to this, or four ways to make a path." But, what Michael often found is that his path lead to a place the authors of those books had never been. He was in unknown territory. Michael said he didn't need a map, but rather a compass -- something that would show him the way no matter where he was. This compass was the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment.

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

On this Theme Thursday Season Two webcast, Jim Collison, Gallup's Director of Talent Sourcing, and Maika Leibbrandt, Gallup Advanced Learning and Development Consultant discussed the theme of Includer.

&autoplay=false" style="height: 131px; width: 100%;Includer is always making the circle wider. Includer believes everyone is an insider and involves the tireless pursuit of others. Includer involves the appreciation of others who step up and become part of something. People exceptionally talented in the Includer them accept others. They have an awareness of others that are left out and make an effort to include them. Includer has a sense-driven ability to make people feel like they are a part of something. Includer is tolerant, inviting, welcoming and aware. Includers are sensitive to those who are excluded and have an innate desire and capacity to bring them into the group. Their thoughtful approach to others increases communication and productivity. Includer brings a level of tolerance and acceptance of diversity.

Sunday, July 3, 2016

People with strong Input talents bring tools that can facilitate growth and performance. They love to provide relevant and tangible help to others. Their resourcefulness and curiosity lead them to store knowledge that can be culled and shared. Those with high Input as seeing the value in “stuff.” Whether it is something tangible, like a tool, or intangible, like information and resources, people with Input are likely to have a strong appreciation for it. Input shines the most when some people have the opportunity to absorb information. The trait of constantly reading and soaking up knowledge is common for those with Input.

Please register for our Input Webcaston Thursday, July 7, 2016 at 12:00 p.m. EST. Download the Theme Thursday Companion Guide on Input here to follow along with the show!

Friday, July 1, 2016

By Mara HoogerhuisIf you’ve spent much time with CliftonStrengths coaches, you are likely familiar with the terms “balconies” and “basements.” These terms represent the outcomes for ourselves and others, both positive (balconies) and negative (basements) that stem from the application of our most deeply engrained natural patterns and tendencies.Much has been written about these concepts and if they are newer to you, I encourage you to read two great posts on the subject: Can a Strength Ever Be a Problem? and Balconies and Basements: Perception Is Reality.